Atletico Ottawa wins CPL’s North Star Cup in snowy showdown

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OTTAWA — For the first time in their history, Atletico Ottawa have won the North Star Cup, albeit it took four hours to record a 2-1 win in a snowstorm showdown against the defending champions Cavalry FC of Calgary.

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It took extra time for Ottawa’s David Rodriguez to score the deciding goal, his second of the night, which he finally chipped past Cavalry goaltender Marco Carducci in the 106th minute.

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Home-field advantage has been a real factor for the second-seeded Atletico (15-2-11), who have gone undefeated at home since Aug. 3, 2024, when they lost to this season’s third-seeded Cavalry (11-8-9).

This time, TD Place was blanketed by a thick fog of heavy snowfall, setting up a distinctly and stereotypically Canadian bout.

Atletico, a side often focused on ball movement under head coach Diego Mejia, adapted to the weather with speed up the sides of the pitch. The visitors held strong in their disposition as one of the most solid defensive groups of these Canadian Premier League playoffs, allowing only one goal in two matches.

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The stalemate broke when a desperate tackle from Ottawa midfielder Kevin Dos Santos led to a penalty shot as Cavalry’s attack broke through Ottawa’s defensive line.

At the 33rd minute, Cavalry defender Fraser Aird tucked the ball into the bottom right corner. In a testament to the rivalry between the sides, the celebrating visitors were met with a barrage of snowballs from Atletico fans.

But just six minutes later, Ottawa midfielder Gabriel Antonaro lobbed a ball into the box that evaded the crowd through the snow until midfielder Rodriguez attempted a daring bicycle kick, striking a bar-down beauty for the game’s tying goal.

Chances were difficult to find in the second half as an ever-increasing blanket of snow caused players to blow a tire with the lack of traction.

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Best protecting the stalemate was substitute Ottawa midfielder Aboubacar Sissoko, who made a heroic goal-line save with just over 10 minutes left in regulation.

After snowplows cleared the bulk of the snow following the end of the regulation 90 minutes, extra time was a different game now that the players weren’t struggling to stay on their feet.

That led to a fast-break play where Atletico’s Rodriguez played hero for the second time, racing past the Cavalry defender and goal-scorer Aird and chipping the championship-clinching goal past Carducci.

Cavalry desperately challenged the lead in the waning minutes of extra time, but Atletico held on to lift the North Star Cup.

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